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This past year, Mojo Fett (Gav) and BobbyFettUK (Rob) set out to make the most accurate Fett rocket pack harness, and they totally succeeded in doing just that.
It was by far, the most accurate harness endeavor that has ever been attempted. A small run was initiated and that harness was shared with members of TDH.
I even purchased one myself.
Just for ease of discussion, lets refer to this harness as the V1 harness.

However, very shortly after the V1 harness run was completed, some new fantastic harness reference was made available.
This was both fantastic news and gut wrenching news all at the same time.
It was fantastic because it provided in clear crisp detail exactly what the harness should look like, and make it possible to get an accurate scaling of the harness for the first time ever.
It was gut wrenching because it pointed out some flaws of the V1 that was just recently completed. Flaws like improper scale, proportions, and some incorrect construction details.

The V1 harness was made as well as it possibly could have been based on the limited reference available at the time. And for what Gav and Rob had to work with, they did beyond a fabulous job.
Although the V1 harness that they had just finished is still an amazing functional piece, it does meet the standards for those wanting an ultimate screen accurate harness.
And that really sucks for those people (including myself) who had just invested in the V1 harness so recently. And especially for Gav and Rob who had invested an incredible amount of time and effort to see that project come alive and brought to completion.
But it was unavoidable. And outside of Gav and Rob having a crystal ball to see the future, there was nothing they could have done differently.

So with new awesome reference in hand, I took it upon myself to bring my skill set to the table and re-scale the harness using some of the known measurements of objects seen in the photo, and created a brand new drawing.
One in which I have the utmost confidence in. Checked it once, twice, three, and four times. Maybe five. : )

I approached Gav and Rob and asked them if they would be interested in doing another run based on my dimensions and they agreed.
Although there were issues with the dimensions/proportions of the V1 harness, the actual construction of it was top shelf. Gav, Rob, and the fabrication shop they used had done one hell of a job in my opinion.
I knew that combining my new V2 harness drawing with what Gav and Rob had accomplished with the V1, would provide us accuracy fans with the best shot possible for an ultimate replica.
I spoke directly with Gav and Rob individually where we discussed this new drawing in-depth, discovered some new details together, and sorted out the particulars.

There is nothing worse than having to invest in upgrading replicas as I'm sure many of you will agree. It's always better (and cheaper) to get it right the first time whenever possible.
But when it comes to creating replicas, you can only do the best job possible with the reference you have available at the time. That's just the nature of the hobby and the burden that the accuracy conscious have to bear.
That being said, having this new reference, I believe that this V2 harness will be the last harness that will ever need to be made to completely satisfy the hardcore accuracy nuts like myself.

There are a couple of other options out there as far as harnesses are concerned (including the V1 that some of you already have).
One recent option I've seen out there sacrifices accuracy, but is totally functional and geared for the budget conscious.
And the V1 is still completely functional, and is the second most accurate harness out there next to the V2.
In my opinion, alternate options are always a good thing, and I want to stress that we do not view anyone else's harness projects as any type of negative competition.

This V2 harness run is specifically geared for those Fett builders where accuracy is the most important factor, and who will never have to worry about upgrading ever again.

Here is a small description of our roles regarding this project:

Gino
My role was to provide the drawing with accurate dimensions of the harness, strapping, and strapping hardware, and provide general assistance with any manufacturing decision making.
Some of you may or may not be familiar with my work. Those that do, know that I regard screen accuracy as the most important factor in creating a replica. And the projects I choose to work on are almost never available to the general public.
This will be one of those rare occasions where a project I'm involved in will be made available to ANYONE who is interested in Fett accuracy.
I also wanted to point out that outside of getting a harness for myself, I am not making any money off of this run.
Most of the leg work will be performed via Gav and Rob, and because of that, I believe they are the ones deserving to benefit from it.

Mojo Fett (Gav)
Gav's role was to take my drawing, and from that create the breakdown CAD drawings that would be used by the fabrication shop for various jigs and assembly.
He will also share with Rob the role of liaison to the fabrication shop to oversee production and quality control.
Gav will also be the one who will handle all the financial aspects of the project including managing the sign up list.

BobbyFettUK (Rob)
Rob's role is to assist in creating/sewing the harness hardware and strapping. Many of you have already seen Rob's work in this area and can attest to it's quality.
Rob will also share with Gav the role of liaison to the fabrication shop to oversee production and quality control.

The harness drawing has already been sent to the fabrication shop and is just getting underway.
I'll let Gav take over from here and make a post with a sign up list, and misc. details including cost and payment arrangements.
I'm sure BFUK will chime in as well.

I think Gino has it pretty covered...
With his new information I have redrawn the plans and manufacture is under way for a small handful of harnesses (Mine Included) so if anyone is wanting to purchase this new V2 harness I will not be increasing the costs for these and will still be available fully finished at $300 shipped! The only thing we do not include is the belt buckle.. as many of you either have the real thing or one of Geoff's (FullmetalFetts) replicas.

So if you are interested in a harness just let me know either by PM or on here?
PP addy is as always - gavdrew007@aol.com

"...some new fantastic harness reference was made available.
This was both fantastic news and gut wrenching news all at the same time.
It was fantastic because it provided in clear crisp detail exactly what the harness should look like, and make it possible to get an accurate scaling of the harness for the first time ever."

Wow! What is this new material? Photos, drawings, sources? Can we see it, too?

Wow! What is this new material? Photos, drawings, sources? Can we see it, too?

Cheers!!!

Agreed! Not only would it be nice to see the new reference material just for the educational and wow factor, but it would also be nice to eventually see exactly what the differences between V1 and V2 are in context with the new references so those of us who already got a V1 can make an informed decision about the additional costs. Seeing as it is a piece that is in large part not a visible part of the costume, being able to understand how the scale corrections and other bits affect the visible parts of the costume would be significant and very helpful. Many thanks.

Unfortunately, the reference material is not allowed to be posted on this site.

Here is what I can tell you. The main difference is the scale. The V1 is quite a bit under sized. And of course that also effects the strapping, and the strapping hardware all the way down the line.
Other differences have to do with proportions, placement, component details, and some other construction differences.
From a functionality standpoint, the V1 is just as functional as the V2 will be. And of course, it is all underneath the backplate.
However, the aspects that you will be able to visibly see on the outside of the armor will be the new correctly sized strapping and strapping hardware.

Like I said in the first post, this run is specifically for those who want a harness as close to the real thing as possible. Even if the functionality will not really be affected, some still want a more screen accurate version regardless.

I don't know if there will be an opportunity to post any side by side comparison pics of a V1 and V2 before the entire run is completed so I realize this is sort of a leap of faith. Although that still might be a possibility, I just don't know for sure.
I think at some point (even if it is after the run is completed) a comparison between the V1, V2, and the original would be a great idea, otherwise how else would you know just how accurate it is. The only downside to that is once the run is done, that's it.
And it will be very obvious at how much difference there is between the V1 and V2, even without us pointing anything out.

We are moving forward with this new project for ourselves and a few friends regardless of how many additional people want to sign up.
We just thought it would be cool to offer it up to you guys as well.

If you guys have any other questions, feel free to ask here in this thread, or pm me, Gav, or Rob (as long as they aren't questions asking about specific measurements of course).

I have a V1 harness, and am currently having Bobamaker sew large button holes and bottom cutouts as per the movie flak vest given the measurements of the V1 harness (I sent it to him via mail). My question is, are the measurements going to be SO off from the V1 that the white Jet Pack straps wont correctly go through the flak-vest holes on the top? Or will this not be a problem?

I have been on the list for awhile now but here is my official sign on anyway.
This harness is going to be great. I simply cant wait to see it and I will echo what others have said; this should be the last harness you will ever need as far as accuracy goes.

OK, I have been into the shop today with the final drawings and the lead time is 4 weeks. I will then need a little time to finish and sew the webbing onto the rig. I have some samples of vintage webbing due anytime and will update as and when they come in. As soon as I can I will get a prototype harness photo up and a shot to compare to the original harness we made last year.

As I have not yet posted in the thread, I just wanted to say that this project really should not be happening. I was and still am totally satisfied that the first harness does the job excellently and is a very very faithful replica to the original screen used prop. However, as Gino has stated, a very short time after the harness was complete some new photos were made available. It is a shame that the situation prevents them being posted directly on this site or that a link can not be posted, but that has its own story, and too much water has flown under the bridge for this to change any time soon. That is not to say I am very happy and thankful that the photos are available at all, I am, and all credit to those responsible for making it happen This has allowed for the harness to be scrutinized in a way that had been previously out of the question. The new photos when studied by a member with a reputation for replicating the smallest detail (Gino ) and compared with what had been produced, brought about a proposal from Gino to produce an even more accurate harness.

I was unsure of the need for this, I still am, but what with the new information, the design tweeks and the positive interest, a run has now been started. This I am sure will be the last I will be involved with of these harness, due to the level of accurate detail, the work involved in making it happen and the time restraints due to my ever growing family (my second lad is due in 3 weeks today) So you see, it really should not be happening

That's exciting news Rob. Can't wait to see the progress!
Wow, both you and Gav will have your hands full with brand new little clones. Congratulations.
I'm not quite ready to take on a replica project of that magnitude just yet.

In doing some research for the harness strapping and pack strapping, I've put together these two photo comps.

Here is what I've come to determine.

HARNESS STRAPPING
It is clear that there are two distinctive types of black harness strapping.
Per my comparison photo, there is the style 1 which is the seatbelt webbing.
Then there is the type 2 which is the scuba type webbing.
Due to limited photo reference, it is difficult to tell which versions of Fett use which type. I've tried to illustrate the known versions and show them in the comp.

Also, there are two types of divers belt buckle used. In ESB and ROTJ, Fett uses the rounded style, but the Supertrooper and PP1 used the angled cornered style (there is a very good chance that these are actually be the same setup though).

PACK STRAPPING
I believe there is a good chance that the pack strapping (the strapping that is sewn to the black harness strapping) is the same exact webbing used on all the different versions of Fett.
It is common belief that the pack straps on the MoM and AoSW exhibit packs are white. In fact they are a shade of grey.
If you look at the ESB pack straps, as well as the Supertrooper pack straps, they appear to be a medium grey.
But I believe it is the photography that makes one appear lighter in color than the other. Especially in the exhibit shots where the flash might make the grey appear even lighter.
Hard to say definitively, but I'm a firm believer in that the simplest answer is usually the correct one, especially when it comes to OT SW props.
One thing is certain, they all have the same weave.
Some pack straps have rivets, some don't.

So here is the breakdown of which types of harness strapping and which type of pack strapping each version of Fett uses.
It is completely possible, that some of these versions are in fact the same strapping. For example, the Supertrooper harness could actually be the PP1 harness. We just don't know for sure.
If any of this info I've shown is incorrect, please post here and show how it is wrong, and I'll revise the comps.
Here is the list at-a-glance for reference. Some will be marked unknown as I could not find any definitive reference. If you can fill in any of the blanks, please post here and let me know.

Supertrooper
Harness strapping: scuba webbing
Belt buckle: angled corners
Pack strapping: may or may not have rivets (it is not definitive either way from the one and only photo we have that shows this area)
However it is believed that this setup is actually the same setup as the AoSW and if that is the case, then it does not have and rivets.

PP1
Harness strapping: scuba webbing
Belt buckle: angled corners
Pack strapping: no rivetsIt is very possible that this setup is actually the Supertrooper or AoSW setup.

PP2
Harness strapping: seatbelt webbing
Belt buckle: rounded
Pack strapping: has rivetsIt is very possible that this setup is actually the ESB or ROTJ setup.

ESB
Harness strapping: seatbelt webbing
Belt buckle: rounded
Pack strapping: has rivetsIt is very possible that this setup is actually the PP2, ROTJ, or MoM setup.

ROTJ
Harness strapping: seatbelt webbing
Belt buckle: rounded
Pack strapping: does not have rivets in the scenes on the skiff, does have them in promo photo (but I would go with what is confirmed on screen)It is very possible that this setup is actually the PP2, ESB, or MoM setup.

AoSW EXHIBIT
Harness strapping: scuba webbing
Belt buckle: angled corners
Pack strapping: no rivetsIt is very possible that this is actually the Supertrooper or PP1 setup.

That is a great breakdown. Thanks, Gino. I totally agree about the pack strapping. It is a medium gray. I'm still looking for a better match on that weave.

Funny thing about the ESB fett, I have never seen a photo where the divers belt buckle is visible. All the other versions have multiple shots where it is visible. I am interested to see if a photo of this exists because I am curious to find out if it was painted like the ROTJ version or left unpainted. I guess if it was rounded and it came from the PP2 suit it would've been painted. Anybody see any pics that show the belt on ESB during production?

Rob is trying to get samples of the correct webbing for this harness but just in case they aren't what we are looking for, here are close up pics of the actual webbing with dimensions.

Whoever can find either of these would be THE MAN.

One thing that I've noticed is that sometimes manufactures can list webbing in general sizes.
For example their 2" webbing might really be 1 7/8" when you actually measure it with a ruler.
Other times 2" really is a true 2".
Sometimes you just have to ask for samples and see what you get.

If anyone finds some seat belt webbing with 4 ribs per the picture anywhere near the 1 3/4" - 2" range, please let me know.
I'll order or purchase a sample and take the risk.
Same with the grey webbing.

Basically, if you want to do an ESB or ROTJ Fett, these are the two types of webbing we need.
Here are the photo and dimensions: